Priceless
by Kayley Taylor
Summary: Sequel to What Hurts The Most. Sarah finds love for the first time, but she has to cross over the one spirit she never wanted to help. Formerly known as A Life So Changed.
1. Understanding

**A Life So Changed**

**This is the sequel to "What Hurts The Most." If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do before you read "A Life So Changed." Now that that's out of the way, the only thing I own is Sarah and this plot line. I still don't own Titanic, Jack, Rose, or Cal. I got this title from the Titanic soundtrack, so I suppose I don't own it, either.** **I never own the titles...Oh well. Enough with my ramblings. You all probably find this rather boring. So without further ado, A Life So Changed.**

**(A/N: Just in case you're wondering why Sarah refers to Rose as Mum and not Mom, it's because both of her biological parents were British.)

* * *

**

Chapter One

Understanding

Two months had passed since Sarah became a Dawson. Rose was legally Sarah's mother, but it didn't feel like it. Well, it did, but she never referred to Rose as "mum." For as long as Sarah and her had fatefully met, it was always just Rose.

As ironic as she found it, Sarah often found herself thinking about Cal. That face of his that she used to love and hate popped into her head at random times. Sometimes even when she would go surprise Rose over at the cabaret she worked at. Especially during a song titled "Heart of the Ocean" that Rose had said that was supposed to be about him. She never went into much detail as to why she had named it what she did.

She found herself thinking about Jack at random times, too. Sarah could finally say that she had met the most influential and important man in Rose's life. Even though it was a brief one-day period, it was obvious that he was indeed unforgettable. He had left a lasting impression that would probably last a lifetime on her.

But every spirit that Sarah had crossed over never left her memory. True, she had only crossed over two, but she had seen countless dead people in just her short fifteen years of life. Sometimes she would see them when she was walking down the street, at a store, sometimes even in the cabaret.

Rose was becoming more open and accepting to Sarah's "gift," as Rose often referred to it as. Sarah was never asked to do a seance for Jack, although she knew that she could do it. She could see it in Rose's eyes that she wanted to do it, but she was to afraid to ask. Rose often asked questions about her gift, and even two months later, she didn't seem to run out of questions.

"Did you see one today?" Rose asked one night while getting ready for bed from the master bathroom.

Sarah stood by the open window. The cool June evening air blew the curtains gently around, as long as Sarah's thin brown hair.

"See what?" she asked, even though she knew what she was saying.

Rose came out of the bathroom, her red hair held back in a clip. She patted her face with a small towel, her face freshly cleaned. "You know what I mean," she said. "Did you see anyone?"

Sarah smiled. "Oh, that. No, not today."

Rose put her the towel down and crawled into bed. "How do you even know that you're seeing ghosts and not people?"

Sarah thought about how to say this. "You know when you look at a picture and you just have a feeling about it right away, like you've experienced it, even though you haven't?"

Rose nodded.

"That's how I get when I see ghosts. I feel what they're feeling. They don't have a shadow around them, that's one other thing. But I can see them just like I'm looking at you. That's what took me forever to figure out." She sighed. "I don't even know how to use it. This 'gift', I mean."

"Yes, you do," Rose said soothingly. "You helped Jack cross over. That was a huge thing, and you did it effortlessly."

"But I was scared that I would do it wrong or say something wrong or...I don't know, Rose. It's hard."

She nodded in understand. "Just know, Sarah, that I'm never going to doubt you or laugh at you or think you're crazy. You're my daughter. Even though you're adopted doesn't mean I don't love you."

She smiled. "Thank you. And you're my mum. So, yes, I love you, too."

Rose smiled. "Time for you to go, sweetheart. We've both had a long day."

Sarah nodded, even though she wasn't felt tired. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll see you tomorrow." She closed the door behind her and headed to her bedroom and got in her bed. Above her she could see the stars.

Again, Jack had popped into her mind. Sarah wished that she hadn't crossed over Jack as fast as she did. True, he didn't belong here, but she wished that she could have known him just a little longer.

Maybe she could contact Jack for Rose's birthday. Even though that was four months away, she made a quick mental note to try and do that.

As soon as Sarah's head hit the pillow, she realized how tired she really was. Sleep sounded good. Sarah closed her eyes, dreaming of, for once, nothing.


	2. Boy Who Plays The Piano

**Chapter Two**

**Boy Who Plays The Piano **

**FYI, Sarah has been liking Boy Who Plays The Piano, aka Joey, for about two months, ever since she moved to Boston with Rose.**

* * *

Sarah walked into Richards with Rose the next evening. She saw that it was just starting to rain outside when they went inside. She prepared herself for a roll of thunder any second.

Per usual, Sarah followed Rose onto the stage. Where was Boy Who Played The Piano? He had to be here! Sarah looked forward to seeing a sixteen-year-old Jack Dawson look-alike who she had admired from afar for two months. She didn't dare even talk to the boy. Cal didn't allow her to talk to boys at all, so at the risk of being stupid, she avoided them. Even though he ever told her, she was sure that positive that he was going to marry her off to the first rich man he saw.

Any man who had heard the name Cal Hockley even once knew not to lay eyes on his daughter.

_No_, she told herself. _You are not going to keep going in circles with Cal. Everything is over. You won't ever see him again. He's dead after all._

"I don't know where he is," Rose said to herself.

"Where's who?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, the piano player. Joey," Rose said absently.

Joey. So that was his name.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked. "Thinking about something?"

Rose shook her head. "No. Just tired. I don't feel like singing songs about Jack, either."

"Then don't. Sing 'Heart of the Ocean.'"

Rose sighed. "I don't feel like singing about Cal, either. It's just one of those nights, I suppose."

Sarah nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Miss Dawson," the Jack Dawson look-alike said. "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry, Joey," Rose said. "Go have a seat, Sarah. I'll talk to you in a while."

Sarah caught a glance at Joey. He had the same blue eyes as Jack, the same jaw...he was practically a replica of Jack. She felt her face flush. Everyday for two months she had tortured herself by not saying one word to him.

Sarah sat in a spot in the back. Her mind occasionally wandered from time to time as she thought of a song possibility for Rose. She cursed herself for not having paper.

Sarah looked around the cabaret, people-watching. As much as hearing Rose sing made her happy, it got a bit boring a few hours into it.

Joey stopped playing halfway through Rose's shift. She noticed that this was usually when he stopped. She saw Joey get off the stage and scan the room. Sarah and Joey's eyes met, even though Sarah was the first to break his gaze.

She heard the chair across from her getting pulled in and out. She looked up, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Hey," Joey said.

"Hi," Sarah said.

There was a silence between them. She saw a woman around Rose's age get onto the stage and take Joey's seat at the piano.

"You're good at that," she said. "Where'd you learn to play?"

"My grandmother," Joey replied. "She's like my mother though." One beat of silence. "Hey, since we're on the topic of mothers, are you Rose's kid?"

"Sort of. Adopted daughter. But I love her like she's my mum."

Joey chuckled.

"What?" Sarah asked, subconsciously touching her necklace that Cal had given her for her last birthday.

"Nothing. We just don't get a lot of prim and proper young girls – excuse me, ladies – in this neck of the woods here, saying 'mum' and whatnot."

"I'm British! I can't help it."

Joey smiled that same exact Jack Dawson smile. Sarah felt her heart starting to melt. She couldn't help but smile like the idiot that she felt like she was at the moment.

"So, uh, I've seen you around here a lot, Miss Dawson," Joey said, relaxing in his chair.

She smiled even wider. "It's Sarah, Joey. Not Miss Dawson."

"Alright, Sarah. You never did answer my question, though."

It took her a minute to remember what he actually had asked in the first place. She felt so stupid for at times being silent around him, but now she felt a rambling coming on...

"Well, no one else is home and I'd be lonely. Don't want to go back to that, now do we? Besides, the music isn't horrible. And you play the piano really good...I mean great...I mean..." She got all of that out in one breath. Her cheeks felt flushed. "I'm sorry."

Joey chuckled and leaned forward. "What are you sorry for? Other than not making sense, which you didn't make a whole lot of, but you don't need to apologize." He caught her eyes. "I get a break from 5:30 to 6:00, right before your mother comes here to work. If you ever want to do something before then, like just talk...or ramble as you just did..." He smiled. "I'll listen."

She smiled back "I'd like that."

* * *

As Sarah lay down to sleep that night, her mind swirled around Joey. All she could think of was the way she made her feel When would she be able to see him alone? She was positive that she would be able to see him tomorrow after his shift. Maybe they could talk then. Maybe outside, too, if the weather was good.

Oh, this had to be love she was feeling. If this wasn't love, she didn't know what this was. Whenever she thought of the color of his light blue eyes, her heart skipped a beat, or how he smiled. It didn't have to be anything he did really, it was just...Joey.

Sarah expected only pleasant dreams that night, but all she got were nightmares.

I love reviews!


	3. Nightmare Turned Dream

Chapter Three

Nightmare Turned Dream

**Thank you, JainaZekk621 for the reviews! By the way, I don't own "Face Down." I do own Joey, however.**

**This part in italics is from the movie. Sarah is having another one of her dreams. **

**

* * *

**

Cal and Rose were sitting on a deck. It seemed to be that it was in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Most likely on the Titanic.

"_I had hoped you would come to see me last night," Cal said._

"_I was tired," Rose replied._

"_Yes. Your exertions below deck were no doubt exhausting," Cal said._

_Rose stiffened. "I see you had that undertaker of a manservant follow me."_

"_You will never behave like that again! Do you understand?"_

"_I'm not some foreman in your mills that you can command! I am your fiancee–"_

_Cal exploded, sweeping the china off the table, putting one hand on each side of the chair so Rose couldn't escape. She looked so frightened._

"_Yes! You are!" he shouted. "And you are my wife...in practice, if not yet by law. So you will honor me, as a wife is required to honor her husband! I will not be made out a fool! Is this in anyway unclear?"_

_Frightened Rose started shrinking into her chair, taking shallow breaths._

_Everything flashed forward to when Rose was walking into what appeared to be a posh cabin room. Rose had a somewhat nervous look on her face. Jack was trailing behind her._

"_Something serious has happened," Rose said._

"_That's right. Two things dear to me disappeared tonight. Now that one is back, I have a pretty good idea where to find the other," Cal said._

_Jack was getting searched by the Master at Arms when something was pulled out of his pocket. It was shiny, obviously something of great value. Jack was placed in handcuffs and was starting to get taken away. _

"_Don't you believe it, Rose!" Jack said._

"_He couldn't have," Rose said, uncertain._

"_Of course he could have. Easy enough for a professional. He memorized the combination when you opened the safe," Cal said._

"_But I was with him the whole time!" Rose said._

"_Maybe he did it while you were putting your clothes back on," Cal said quietly to her._

_Everything flash forwarded_ _again to when someone who appeared to be Rose's mother was the only person besides Cal and Rose in the room._

"_I had better go dress," the woman said._

_The door closed behind her. Cal stared at her coldly for a moment, then slapped her across the face._

"_It is a little slut, isn't it?" Cal said, grabbing her by the shoulders._

_Rose refused to meet his eyes._

"_Look at me, you little--"_

Sarah's eyes flung open, her knuckles as white as the pillow that she was gripping. She tried to relax her racing heart by breathing.

She slowly sat up, her hands shaking slightly. "Oh my God," she whispered.

Rose...no. Cal couldn't be that inhumane to the woman he had supposedly loved. He couldn't do that to anyone.

She wondered what Rose had done to deserve to be hit. All she did was actually find love. And the last time she checked, that wasn't a crime.

Sarah's body relaxed finally. She stood up and tied a robe around her and walked downstairs. Rose still wasn't up yet. Typical. Sarah was the early bird, whereas Rose was the night owl.

She sat on a chair and balled up in it, hugging her knees to her chest.How could Rose possibly put up with that? She felt terrible for her. Sarah wanted to believe that all of that was just a bad dream that her mind had made up. But she knew better. This was not a dream. This was only a glimpse into Rose's past.

How had she tolerated this? Didn't she ever feel a time that she felt so helpless, that there was no way out?

* * *

Sarah joined Rose that night at Richards. Tonight she had been smart and brought paper and a pen. Inspiration, as well as rage, was flowing through her system.

Sarah could never look at the man that she had called her father for fifteen years of her life the same way ever again. How could he do that to Rose? Oh, it made her so angry! She silently thanked God that she had been so lucky as to never experience Cal's rage. Then again, she grew up smart enough to realize how to avoid it: do not, under any circumstances, argue or cross the line.

After looking up at Joey, the spitting image of Jack, within the same view as Rose, brought a line into her mind. After playing with her pen for a few minutes, she wrote a few lines down on the paper.

_Do you feel like a man when you push her around?_

_Do you feel better now when she falls to the ground?_

That was all she could write before she was at a loss for words. Those two lines said it all.

"What are you writing?" Joey asked.

Sarah looked up and folded the paper so he couldn't see. She didn't realize that she had been staring off into space for this long.

"Nothing," she said. "Just jotting down a few ideas for a new song for Rose."

Joey nodded and sat down across from her. "The piano was a killer tonight," he said.

Without even thinking, Sarah took his hands in her's. Once she realized what she was done, she was somewhat amazed at being so bold.

"Are they better?" she asked.

He smiled. "Yeah. They are."

Even though Sarah was pleased she had said a few words to Joey, she still couldn't get her mind off of that dream. It was really starting to make her angry that she couldn't stop focusing on it. Her eyes drifted down towards the table.

"Are you alright?" she heard Joey ask.

She nodded. "I'm fine," she lied. "Why?"

"You're quiet and you look sort of sad. And you're sure nothing's wrong?"

She sighed. "Well...sort of. I mean, there is, I just haven't told anyone." She noticed that she was still holding Joey's hands. "I assume that your hands are much better now?"

He grinned. "Well, I know who to come to when my hands are tired."

She let out a giggle.

"Artist's hands and pianist's hands, you know. They really get a beating," he said.

"You're an artist, Mr...?"

"Dawson." He chuckled. "Same last name. That's funny."

He had to have been related to Jack. There was no way they could look that similar and have the same last name and not be related.

She let out a small laugh. "That is funny. But you never answered my question," she playfully said.

"I did. Before you asked it, might I add."

She smiled. Being around Joey could do her wonders. She could do a complete turn-around with him in a matter of minutes.

"See?" Joey said. "This is the Sarah I know. Happy, beautiful Sarah. Not quiet and sulky."

She smiled more widely at being called beautiful. Someday she knew today was going to end alright.

* * *

"Rose, I have to talk to you," Sarah said as they walked home from Richards. The moon was out, the stars barely visible over the harsh city lights.

"No, I think I might have to talk to you first," Rose said. "You and Joey were sitting together holding hands. You know, I may be on that stage, but I can still see you two. And you were smiling. And, as your guardian, I do believe I must know your current love interests."

"Well, you're a bit nosy," Sarah replied.

"Last time I checked, Joey was trying to hide a smile whenever your name came up."

"Really?" Sarah asked, her voice an octave higher than it should have been.

"Really," Rose echoed.

Sarah smiled ear to ear. Just hearing that he liked her back (even though she guessed it), was music to her ears.

"Talk to him sometime. Go on a date," Rose said. "Enjoy love while you can. It doesn't come often."

Sarah knew she was speaking from her experience with Jack. Maybe she should really consider that advice and take it. No, Joey had to be the one to ask her. She would say yes in a heartbeat. But she couldn't get ahead of herself. He hadn't even asked her to go anywhere, after all.

"You were going to ask me something?" Rose asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, um...I forgot," she lied.

* * *

**Read and review. It's only polite!**


	4. It's A Gift

**Chapter Four**

**It's a Gift**

**Sorry it's moving so slow. It's not the most exciting story yet...Next chapter or the one after will get the story going hopefully. **

**

* * *

**

After several days of finally deciding how to ask Rose about what had _really _gone on during Titanic, Sarah found that now was the right time to do so.

When Sarah and Rose were on the train ride from Brooklyn to Boston, she was indeed told a story. Only she didn't think that it fully told. It went something like this:

Rose was engaged to Cal. Cal and Rose boarded Titanic to go to America for their wedding and to live there. Rose was looking over the stern of the boat when she was looking at the propellers and nearly fell overboard, but by pure chance, Jack Dawson was there to save her. Over the next few days, Rose and Jack fell in love, even though both of them knew full well that they shouldn't. The Titanic hit an iceberg. Jack was arrested for something (although Rose failed to specify what for), and she, through all the chaos, went to save him. She refused to get on a lifeboat without him, even though both Jack and Cal urged her to. She resisted. The boat sank and Jack died, both Rose and Cal living, obviously.

As lengthy as that story was, Rose found it all quite fascinating. She was just disappointed that it wasn't the real version. Although the real one probably was much more depressing than the real one.

Sarah joined Rose who was washing her face in the bathroom. Sarah let down her now dry hair from her hair clip. Her normally straight hair seemed more wavy.

"You have beautiful hair, Rose," Sarah said.

Rose smiled. "Thank you. Never did like the color."

"You should. No one else has it. I'm sure many woman would love to have your hair. Myself included."

She waited until Rose was in bed. Sarah lay down next to her. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Rose nodded. "I'm not that tired, anyway. I'd love some company."

Sarah took this as a good sign. She gathered the courage to ask her the question.

"You remember you told me about when you were on Titanic?" Sarah asked.

Rose nodded.

Sarah was never good at beating around the bush. She cursed herself for that. "What did Cal do to you then?"

Rose's dark blue eyes questioned her. "I'm sorry?"

"Rose..." she didn't know what to say next. They were both silent. "I had a dream. It was when you and Cal were at breakfast. He was yelling at you to not go running off with Jack. It was the morning after you went to that party with him. And when Jack was being arrested by the Master At Arms. They pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a piece of jewelry. And then it was just you and Cal in the room and he hit you and called you a slut." She realized that maybe she had laid it on too heavily. But she was just saying what she saw. Sarah never was good at being coy.

Rose's eyes was still on her's. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you're going to deny it. I would too, Rose. And you did absolutely nothing wrong. Trust me, I lived with the man my whole life. I know his tactics."

Rose wouldn't say anything. She knew that this was both a tough and untouched subject.

"I haven't told that to anyone. No one, Sarah. People who have known me for fifteen years haven't the slightest idea. You've known me for two months and it seems like you know my whole life story."

"I only know the important things. And this is important. What Cal did was horrible. No one deserves that. Especially not someone such as yourself."

Sarah hoped that Rose had enough trust in her to confide in her now.

"Why do you have to be so smart?" Rose asked with a sigh.

Sarah shrugged. "It's a gift," she said with a smile.

Rose turned serious again. "Those were the worst days of my life. I want to forget Titanic. But I want to remember Jack."

"You can and you will," she said. "Jack is always going to be connected to you. And that's a good thing."

"But I can forget Titanic," she reassured herself.

"Well, not completely..." Sarah trailed off. "My birthday's April 15th, 1912. I was born at 2:20 AM."

Rose looked surprised. "That's a coincidence."

"I know. Looking back, I think that that's the only reason Cal adopted me. So he could have something to remember you by."

Silence.

"You know, in a sick way, I think Cal loved me," Rose said. "He thought that if he controlled every aspect of my life so it would 'perfect', I would love him back."

"He'll never hurt you again, Rose," Sarah said softly.

Rose nodded. "I know. I'm past him now, thank God." She saw a necklace dangling from her neck. "Why do you always wear that?"

"This?" Sarah touched the golden necklace with a heart pendant. "It was the last thing Cal gave me before he died. I half think that it was for my golden birthday, but I also think that he picked this out for a reason. After he...you know, died."

Rose nodded again. "It's beautiful. He has a thing with hearts."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

Silence.

"So, I can assume that you didn't tell me some of the story of Titanic with full truth?" Sarah asked.

Rose nodded. "Some things are meant to be secret until you figure them out."

"Like what?"

Rose smiled. "You're gifted. I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring them out."

"Oh, so you're going to make me wait, are you?" she teased.

"I do believe I am, Sarah," she said in her mock mothering voice. "Now, go to bed. Let's see if you can figure it out."

Sarah remained in Rose's bed.

"Go to bed," she said again in her mock mothering voice.

"I am," Sarah replied, a smile upon her face. "I want to sleep here, though. With you." She knew she sounded childish, but she just wanted to tonight.

"Why?" Rose asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Can I, though?"

Rose nodded and stroked Sarah's hair. Sarah never had a mother to do this for her. She never had a mother figure in her life. Maybe that was why she wanted to lay with Rose that night. But maybe she felt like she wanted Rose to be safe, even though there was nothing to worry about anymore.

Sarah didn't dream about Titanic that night. She didn't dream at all. She just slept, looking forward to tomorrow when she could finally see Joey again.


	5. Some Other Day

Chapter Five

Some Other Day

**Thank you to my only reviewers, JainaZekk621 and overactive imagination. I see that twenty-four of you have found this interesting enough to continue reading, but my inbox seems to be collecting dust...interesting... **

**

* * *

**

Sarah got out of Rose's bed the next morning. She saw the bright sun stream though the window. How late had she slept? Later than usual she guessed.

She loved the summer. To her it meant that new beginnings were coming. Sarah figured that she had got her's early, with Cal dying (not that was necessarily good) and Rose taking her in.

Sarah did something she hadn't done in a while. She went to her room dug though the drawer of her night stand and pulled out the obituary of Cal that she had to write for The Brooklyn Eagle the day after he died.

_**Caledon Hockley, **steel tycoon,age thirty-five, died on April 16th, 1927 of a gun wound to the head. His life was tragically cut short. He survived by his daughter, Sarah, age fifteen. He will always be remembered as a father gone too soon. Further funeral and memorial announcements will be placed._

Of course she didn't place the announcements. She didn't even attend his funeral. It was England, with family she had never met before. Plus he had lied to her. She didn't want to go to a liar's funeral.

Those words that she had written two months before seemed so foreign. Really, "life tragically cut short"? What was she thinking? She could have just amused everyone and wrote "sweet pea" in there fifty times. Really, that was all she remembered of him. And how he always left her alone and didn't pay much attention to her.

She thought about tearing it up. She had her fingers positioned perfectly already. But at the last second she decided against it, and put it back in it's rightful place in the drawer.

* * *

"Tell me about yourself," Sarah said to Joey that same evening at Richards. They were sitting at a table. This was Sarah's favorite part of the day by far.

"What do you want to know?" Joey asked.

She shrugged. "Whatever you want to tell me."

"Alright." Jack leaned forward. "My full name's Joseph Michael Dawson. I was raised my grandmother here in Boston basically all my life."

"Where are your parents?"

"They died in a fire. I was only three months old when it happened so I can't remember it. I was dropped off at my grandma's the weekend before it happened. Coincidence, I guess. But it was almost like they knew the house was going to be burned down."

"But if they knew, wouldn't they have gone, too?"

"I suppose," he said. "But I never knew them. My grandma's like my mother, I suppose."

Sarah nodded, allowing Joey to continue.

"I've been told that I have an older brother. He'd have to be in his early thirties by now. When my parents died, he just left. So my grandma said. But then again you can't trust much of what your grandparents say, can you?" He chuckled.

"I don't know. I don't have grandparents. I mean, I do. I think I do, anyways. Everyone has grandparents. It's just a question as to whether they're alive or not." She stopped, realizing that she was rambling. "I'm sorry. Continue. Forget I even said anything."

Joey smiled. "Um...alright, then." He kept his eyes on her. Even when he stopped smiling, his eyes still were. "My grandma taught me how to play the piano when I was seven. I couldn't stop and I've been playing ever since. It's kind of like an addiction, really. Not a real one, though. Maybe a love is more like the right word."

She nodded.

"I also do drawings on the side. Ten cents a piece," he said. "I'd love to draw you sometime. You're an artists dream."

Now it was her turn to smile. She started blushing until she looked like she had been covered with too much of Rose's blush.

"Thank you," she said.

A slow song started playing. Joey took her hand and led her to where some people were dancing.

"Joey!" Sarah heard herself say, protesting. "Joey, what are you doing?"

"Taking you to dance," he said, a smile upon his face.

"Joey! I can't! Rose is ten feet away, she's going to see us!"

Even as Sarah said that, she wanted to experience the thrill of being seen. Even if Rose was encouraging a relationship between the two of them, it would still be weird to be seen with him.

Joey put one hand on her back and took her spare hand in his. They started slow dancing. Sarah felt giddy that she was actually _dancing _with Joey!

She looked into his eyes. All she could find was happiness and love. She wanted to say all of these things to him, do all these things...

The song ended. Joey and Sarah, with the two of them closer together than they started. She realized that Joey was three or four inches taller than her.

She couldn't stop smiling. She had no idea what she was doing with Joey. She was going as blindly into it as anybody, but whatever was going on, she liked it. She liked it a lot!

* * *

Sarah took off Rose's borrowed necklace and looked at it. A simple gold chain. Now it would hold a memory of the first time she and Joey danced. She thought it wasn't so simple anymore.

"You look like you had fun with Joey," Rose mused, letting her hair down.

Sarah smiled. "I did. I had a lot of fun. He's a great dancer." She held the necklace in her palm. "He looks a lot like Jack."

Rose nodded. "Yes, I agree. Almost eerily."

"He told me he had an older brother and he's never heard from him. I bet you anything that that's Jack's younger brother."

"It's a bit of an age gap..."

She nodded. "It could still be his brother. If they had Jack young, like their late teens, it's possible." She walked over to Rose's jewelry box. "Thank you for letting me use this, Rose."

"Oh, no problem, Sarah. Any time you want."

She put the necklace back where she found it. Only this time she saw a huge diamond necklace with an extremely large diamond in the middle. She picked it up in awe.

_Cal kneeled next to Rose in front of the mirror. Rose was wearing the necklace and staring blankly back at Cal through the mirror._

"_Rose, there's nothing I would deny you if you would not deny me," he said to her._

Sarah gasped. This was The Heart of the Ocean that she sang about. And Cal gave it to her.

"Rose! You've got to sell this!" Sarah nearly screamed. "This is worth a million dollars! Cal's dead, what does he care?"

Rose came out of the bathroom and looked at what Sarah was holding. "You found it," she said evenly.

"You need to sell this! You'll never have to worry about working again!" Sarah said. "You could sell this to royalty!"

"It was from royalty, Sarah. I can't sell it."

"Why?" Sarah knew she sounded insane. "You've got to! What if someone steals it?"

"I'm going to need it someday. I think, anyways. Besides, it's beautiful. Nice to keep around."

Silence.

"It's from Cal!" Sarah pleaded. "Get it out of here!" She stopped, then really examined it. She could see why she wanted to keep it. It was gorgeous. Perfect, even.

Sarah put it away. "Some other day," she said softly.


	6. Cal's Back

Chapter Six

Cal's Back

* * *

"Slut!"

That was the first thing that Sarah had heard the next morning. It startled her, seeing as it was a man's voice. Rose never had a man over in her house. Ever. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs, too. And she wouldn't be up before her.

Sarah got up quickly and went down the stairs, almost stumbling down them. Her palms that were up on the wall kept her up.

"Sarah?" she heard Rose ask from the kitchen. "Is that you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" she replied, straightening her nightgown.

"Sarah?" the man asked from the kitchen. "_My_ Sarah?"

Her heart froze. She knew that voice all too well.

She walked to the kitchen where Rose was having a cup of tea with toast. Next to Rose, she saw Cal standing in a suit. She only caught one short glimpse of him so that he wouldn't think she could see him.

No. No. It couldn't be Cal. And he was in her house...with Rose...

_Oh, God_, she thought. _Life just gets better._

"Rose?" Cal yelled. "What is she doing here?! She's mine!"

Sarah suppressed her urge to yell at him, to even look at him and send him daggers through her eyes. But, seeing as that it wouldn't be very convenient to Rose and it would probably scare Cal (although she thought it deserved the bastard right), she decided to at least try to act sane.

"How did you sleep?" Sarah asked.

"Great," Rose responded. "How about you?"

"Fine." Sarah put two pieces of bread in the toaster. **(A/N: Were toasters even invented in 1927? Oh well, they are now!)**

"Rose! What are you doing with my daughter in your house?!" Sarah heard Cal yell.

_I'm not your daughter_, she thought bitterly.

"Sarah, what are you doing here? You could be living with your grandmother in England, going to a good school, rather than being stuck here with this slut!" she heard Cal say.

_Grandmother_, she thought. _Does she even know that I'm alive?_

"You're quiet," Rose commented. "Is something the matter?"

"Hmm?" Sarah looked up from the glowing heaters in the toaster. "No. Everything's fine. Just thinking about things."

"What kind of things?" Rose took a sip from her tea, a smile creeping upon her lips. "Joey?"

That same smile came upon Sarah's lips. She buttered the two pieces of toast. "No, actually."

"Joey?" Cal asked. "Who's Joey? Sarah, I told you not to go around boys. Your mother instilled this hogwash into your head, didn't she?"

_Yes, Rose actually taught me to follow my heart then conforming to _some_one_.

Sarah went and sat across from her. "I actually came up with a great song idea for you."

"I'd love to hear it," Rose said eagerly.

"It's up in my room. I'll bring it down after breakfast. I don't know if you'll like it."

"What are you raising her to do?" Cal yelled at Rose. "Write songs?! Boys?! I knew you were nothing but a whore! Another first class girl gone. This had better not be another Jack Dawson!"

Sarah was amazed that Cal was saying all these horrible things about Rose right in front of her. But Rose's blank eyes indeed confirmed that she didn't hear a thing going on.

After finishing her breakfast, Sarah excused herself and went upstairs to get the song. Even though that was the furthest thing from her mind right now. Cal's spirit was in her house. Obviously he had unfinished business here, either with Rose or herself. Sarah took the liberty of guessing that it was a fair share of both.

Sarah remembered growing up with Cal and how he had such a strong hatred towards Rose. Her name was never to be mentioned in the house. She was never supposed to talk about having a mother, even. It was by luck that she even learned her name.

Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe on purpose Cal had told her, knowing that he would die a week later.

She had to ask the question to herself, _How long had he been planning his death? Was I that hard to live with?_

She sighed and held "Face Down", the song for Rose, in her hand. She turned around and nearly bumped into Cal. It was almost like he purposely was standing there to see if he could scare her.

Then she realized that he would now know he could see her.

"Sarah?" Cal asked. "Wh...What's going on?"

"What do you mean 'what's going on?' I think I should be asking you that," she defended.

"You can see me?" he asked, ignoring what she said.

"That's why I'm talking to you," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You have an attitude," he commented.

She walked briskly to the open doorway, but Cal got there fast. One thing she had learned while dealing with ghosts: they were a lot faster than humans.

"What right do you think it is that you have to talk to me like that?"

"What right do you think you have to go abandoning me?" she rebutted.

"I didn't abandon you, your mother did! And you're staying with her?!"

"Oh, please, she's not my mother. You were the one that killed yourself by Peterson's Detective Agency. I saw you that night."

Cal couldn't do anything but stick his hands in his pockets and stall for time. "And what were you doing there? You know you aren't supposed to be out when I'm not home."

"I went out a lot more than you think I did. While you were out drinking and...I don't even know what else. And if you have the audacity to say me going out to find someone who was a better mother than a father you would ever be was worse than what you were doing...You have another thing coming."

There. Sarah finally got it off her chest. She felt like she was a new person. Even if Cal looked about ready to hit her.

His already small brown eyes were narrowed down to just slits now. The last time he seemed this angry was when she had asked what had happened to Rose.

And just as quickly as she heard Cal call Rose a slut this morning, he was gone, disappeared into thin air.

Sarah in the spot she had been for a while, by her dresser, holding the lyrics to "Face Down" in her hands. The paper was now semi-crumpled.

She sat down on her bed and tossed the paper into a corner. The lyrics weren't that good, anyway.

Rose came into the doorway where Cal was a few minutes ago. "Sarah? Are you alright?"

She looked up. "I'm fine."

"I thought I heard you talking. It wasn't a..."

"A spirit?" She chuckled. "It was. It was Cal."

She watched Rose's expression change from blank to surprised, then angry, then a reflection of what must have been her face when she was with Cal on the Titanic (pre-Jack).

"Oh, God," was the only thing she heard Rose say.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that this is so short! If you review I might put it up sooner...on that note...chocolate chip cookies for reviews!!**


	7. Firsts

Chapter Seven

Firsts

**Liz-04, thank you for pointing out my mistake in chapter five. What a good reader:) **

**

* * *

**

"He's not here, is he?" Rose asked as they made their way to Richard's that evening.

_He_. It felt like that name meant so much more than even a few days ago. Before it had been worthless, both of them forgetting (or trying, in Sarah's case) what he had done to both of them.

Sarah shook her head. She was tired. She didn't feel like going out tonight. But she needed to see Joey. It was the best part of her day! And after a long and stressful one, she knew that he could make it better.

"What's he like?" she heard Rose ask.

"The same just like he was when he was alive. You be the judge on that one."

Sarah didn't want to know the words going through Rose's head. She saw Rose's eyes look down towards the sidewalk.

"He, uh...he called you a slut this morning at breakfast. Along with a few other things."

"He was there?"

Sarah nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "Still a bit of a shock, I guess."

"What did he say? About me?"

"Um...he called you a whore and basically how you were a bad influence on me. Which isn't true. You're great to be with, Rose. I just wish I could have known you longer."

Tears clouded Rose's navy blue eyes before they were blinked away.

"I don't want to help him cross over. I'm sure there are plenty other of mediums in Boston that could do it for me." She paused. "I don't know how long this will, take, seeing as I'm not willing to listen to him."

"You're a brave girl, Sarah," she said. "I couldn't do it."

* * *

Yes, the matter of Cal being stuck on Earth bothered Sarah the rest of that evening. She could hardly focus. She kept wondering when he was going to make his next little appearance, what he would yell at next.

She wasn't able to focus all day, as much as the tried to. Even though Rose's songs usually piqued her interest, tonight she wasn't even realizing that she was singing and she was at Richards. She felt like she was a million miles away. And it was all because of Cal.

Sarah's brown eyes gazed blankly at the equally brown table that she was sitting at. Faintly she could hear Rose singing. Her thin brown arms were folded against her chest, her body leaned against the chair.

Would he visit her in her sleep, in a dream? Would he visit her tomorrow when she least expected it? Would he even visit her at all?

_Maybe he won't_, Sarah thought optimistically. _Maybe he just needed to see me one last time before he crossed over._

She realized that would never happen. He didn't have the typical look on his face after the other three people she helped cross over had. They didn't have that look of awe on their face or tears in their eyes, walking slowly toward a light she couldn't see. No, Cal's eyes were as tiny as slits, his face angry. Even though she couldn't see the light they all saw, she was pretty sure that there wasn't one.

"I said, 'hello,'" Joey said.

Sarah looked up. "Hmm?"

"That was the third time I tried to say hello to you, Sarah. Are you alright?" Joey asked.

"Oh...I'm sorry," she said, sitting straighter, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her eyes. "I was thinking about someone."

"Really? Who?"

"No one of importance," she said. "Forgive me for being distant lately. Things have been a little stressful."

"What's going on?"

She thought about telling him, but then shook her head. "Nothing really. Just bad dreams and a fight. But..." she sighed. "Don't worry about me."

Joey looked at her just to confirm, scanning her eyes. She put on her everything-is-fine set of eyes that she rarely used, since now everything really had been fine up until now.

He must have believed her, since he said. "I told you about myself yesterday, tell me about you."

This is where things were going to get interesting.

"Alright," she said. "Well, I was adopted. I lived in Brooklyn for fifteen years."

"Brooklyn?" His blue eyes widened. "Posh Brooklyn?"

She nodded. "I lived in a great house, I could have anything I wanted at my fingertips. It was an okay life, I suppose."

"You call Brooklyn an okay life? What do you want a good life to be?"

A small smile came onto her face. "Money isn't everything, Joey. It's the people you're with, as cliche as that may sound."

"What do you mean?"

"My father was...a drunk. He never drank at home, but I just _know_ he was out drinking at night. Most of the time he wouldn't come home until after midnight. But, you know, he was a Hockley. He could do whatever he wanted."

As soon as Sarah realized she had said her former last name, her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to give that much of an intimate detail of herself away so quickly.

"Hockley?" Joey repeated. "As in Cal Hockley?"

It was then that Sarah realized just how big her last name was and what it stood for. Half the people on the East Coast had probably heard the Hockley name before.

She nodded sheepishly. "The one and only."

"But...but he's rich!"

She laughed. "Yes. Yes he was that, indeed."

"He _was_? What, did he go bankrupt?"

"You've heard of the Hockley name but you don't know what happened to him?"

Joey shook his head. "No. Tell me."

"Oh, he...he died this April," she said, somewhat quietly. She half-expected to see him appear out of thin air. But no, it never happened.

"I'm so sorry," he said, taking one of her hands.

She smiled lightly. "It's alright. You want to know a secret?"

He nodded.

"He wasn't a great father. I mean, yes, I was adopted, but he could have loved me like his own like the agency always tells the parents when they adopt a new child. I mean, he never did anything bad to me, but...he just wasn't there. I basically raised myself."

"And you've become so beautiful in the process," Joey smiled, gently touching her cheek with his spare hand, wiping away a tear.

Sarah didn't realize she was crying until Joey got up and hugged her. "It's alright," he said, stroking her hair.

Sarah stopped crying. She didn't know why she was crying. She thought it was just the stress of the day, that had lead her to this. She wiped her cheeks and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I never cry. Ever. I've just had a really bad day."

"No, no, it's okay, Sarah. You don't have to apologize," he said gently. "You don't."

After fully calming down and changing the subject, the night seemed to get back to usual, which she was grateful for. Sarah no longer cried, but laughed and smiled. She was so happy that Joey was able to get her mind off of everything.

"Say, you haven't seen me during my break," he mused. "Care to tell me why, Miss Hockley?"

"It's Miss Dawson," she corrected.

"I thought you didn't want me calling you that," he reminded.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Right. It's Sarah. But to answer your question...I haven't had time."

Which was a lie. She was too shy to go and meet him. She had no experience dating, since Cal never let her even look at a boy. And if someone who didn't have money looked at her...well, let's just say that Sarah felt sorry for them.

"Oh, really? Well, you should make time."

She grinned. "Really."

He nodded. "Fourth of July is coming up. If you don't have any plans...I'd love to take you down to beach and show you a fireworks show. You ever seen one?"

"No," she admitted, somewhat hesitantly

"What? You've never seen fireworks?"

"Well, not that close. I used to watch them from the street, but the harbor was a few miles away. I've seen them. They're pretty though."

"You've never...Oh, that's it. I'm taking you to one."

Sarah realized that she was being asked out by Joey finally. All she could do was smile and try not to act like an idiot and screw the whole thing up.

"That is, if you want to," Joey said.

"No. I mean, yes. I'd love to."

Joey smiled. "Great." He got up and extended his hand. "Care to dance, madam?"

She couldn't help but smile even wider. "Why, yes." She stood up and took Joey's hand. He kissed it gently.

"I saw that in a movie once. I always wanted to do that," he said.

Sarah's knees were instantly turned to jelly. Her heart started doing this weird flippy thing that it only did when she was around him.

Joey lead her to the dance floor, a slow song playing. She felt his hand go behind her back. They were dancing closer and closer until Sarah noticed his lips were against his, his tongue trying to find her's.

_Oh my God!_ she thought. _We're kissing!_

Her hand moved up behind his neck and went into his dirty blonde hair, her heart pounding the entire time. She felt like she was flying, a happiness which, as hard as she tried to, she couldn't put into words. All she knew was that she didn't want this to stop.

Rose saw Joey and Sarah kissing from the stage. She smiled and thought that she must have looked like that during the Titanic with Jack. It made her miss him a little bit more, but she realized this was good for Sarah to find love. There was no reason for Rose to hold her back from life's best gift.

As the two of them pulled away, Sarah was breathless. She didn't want this to end. She wanted to be with Joey all night, dancing, even if there was no music.

Sarah knew she was falling in love with Joey Dawson. There was no point trying to deny it. She loved him.

And she thought that maybe, just maybe, he loved her back.

* * *

**Homemade Rice Krispie treats for reviewers!**


	8. As Delicate As Glass

Chapter Eight

As Delicate As Glass

**Last chapter: Fluff. This chapter:...not so much. **

**

* * *

**

The next few days had been peacefully. July had come in Boston. Sarah knew that it was three more days until her first date with Joey. She could hardly wait now!

As Sarah lay in her bed for the night, her eyes closed, she realized that in exactly seventy-two hours, she would be hearing the fireworks up and close, sitting down on a blanket with Joey, having her hold her...

"That Boy is trouble," Cal said.

Sarah's eyes shot open. She turned on the lamp next to her and saw Cal at the foot of her bed. This had been the first time in several days that she had seen Cal since their first encounter.

"I beg your pardon?" Sarah asked, squinting her eyes. She was tired, she didn't feel like dealing with ghosts, much less dead Cal.

"I said, That Boy is trouble, Sarah. You know you shouldn't follow in your mother's footsteps."

"His name is Joey," she defended. "And Rose didn't do anything wrong."

"Rose. You refer to your mother by her first name. How rude."

"Oh, shut up, Cal!" she snapped.

"That Boy is going to go after your inheritance. I left you $10 million in my will. He only kissed you at Richards because he wants that money. He's nothing but a gutter rat."

"I'm aware of how much money you left me. Believe me, I'm counting the days until I can spend that on a big house for Rose and a wedding for myself, just to spite you. And how dare you call Joey a gutter rat! You know nothing about him!"

Cal chuckled. "He's an artist, sweet pea. Don't make the same mistake Rose did with being drawn."

Sarah didn't know what he was talking about, she only had her eyes locked on his. "Don't call me that."

"What? Sweet pea? Or being an artist's naked muse?"

"Both."

Sarah heard a gentle knock on her door. "Sarah?" Rose called. "Are you...?"

"Yes, Rose," Sarah sighed. "You can come in."

"What are you doing? You know I don't want to see her," Cal said.

"Then go away if you hate her so much," Sarah said quietly, just as the door was opening.

"I...It's not..._him_, is it?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"Yes it is, you stupid whore," Cal said. "It's _him_."

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them up again, shooting a glare at Cal. "It is," she said.

"Just leave the poor girl alone!" Rose said, looking around the room, not quite sure where to find him. "She's been through enough trauma for a lifetime."

Cal looked angrier. Sarah saw him making fists at his sides. "Um, Rose, now isn't the time to be saying this," Sarah said.

"I don't care. You're going to hear it one way or another, Cal, it's best you hear it from me."

Cal appeared right in front of Rose's face and put his hand up to slap her, but his hand went through her cheek. "What the hell?" he said, looking at his hand.

"You can't hurt her anymore, Cal," Sarah said. "Those days are over."

"What?" Rose said. "What's going on?"

"I will do whatever I damn well please!" Cal yelled. "I can get away with anything now, even more so than when I was alive!"

"Sarah, what is going on?" Rose asked, her dark blue eyes starting to swim in fear. "Cal, I don't know where you are, but stop it."

"Rose, please, try and relax," Sarah soothed. "He's feeding off your fear and our energy. That's what's making him stay here."

Cal appeared at the foot of Sarah's bed. "I'm not deaf, I can hear what both of you are saying!"

"I'm well aware of that, Cal," Sarah snapped.

Sarah's heart was beating fast from the stress, and now her head was starting to throb. _Oh, God, I'm having a heart attack and a brain aneurism at once. I'm going to die._

"You will not talk to me like that!" Cal yelled. "Do you understand that?"

Sarah felt like she couldn't breathe. She was about to cry now on top of everything else.

"I said, do you understand that?" Cal shouted even louder.

"Shut the bloody hell up!" Sarah yelled back.

Cal looked like, if he was alive, he would be slapping and screaming at Sarah.

_Well, he's got half of it down_, she thought.

"And you wonder why I died," Cal said angrily.

Sarah looked as if she had gotten slapped in the face. That phrase was ten times worse than any physical injury he could have given her.

The lump in her throat hurt more and more. She felt like she was going to give in any minute to the tears that she so desperately, but rarely, wanted to shed.

Cal more angrier than ever. She saw the empty water glass on the night stand next to her start to shake, then it exploded, shards of glass landing on the table, floor, and bed.

"Stop it!" Sarah yelled, but then she realized he was gone. Her breathing became more choppier, her eyes became more blurry with tears. "Stop it," she now said to thin air.

"Oh, Sarah," Rose said, rushing over to hug her. "Are you alright?"

Sarah was too busy crying to reply. After a few minutes, she replied, "I hate him, Rose."

* * *

Rose let Sarah sleep in her bed with her that evening. The poor girl was too shaken up and scared to even sleep in her room with a light on. Rose thought at least being with her might help.

How much torture did Sarah have to go through? Rose didn't even know what Cal was saying. She knew she wouldn't ask. It was too touchy of a subject now.

Before the glass next to her exploded, there was look of complete and utter horror and hurt on her face that she didn't know a person could have. Cal must have said something God-awful to her that was now going to be a permanent mark of her.

It was complicated being on the human end of living with a medium, Rose figured out. She had learned – fast – not to ask questions while a spirit was in the room with Sarah. She often heard a lot of things that she wouldn't and couldn't understand unless Sarah interpreted them for her, which was a no-no unless they were ready to cross over (which Sarah would tell her, she said).

As stressful as the night had been, Sarah was now in a deep sleep. Spirits drained her, especially angry ones. They would suck almost all of the energy out of her.

Rose loved hearing about Sarah's experiences as a medium and all she had learned in just her fifteen years on Earth. It was one of the most fascinating things, to her.

Usually when a loved one dies, the person grieving would give anything to talk to them. She imagined that was how Sarah felt about Cal until she learned the truth about him. That was how she herself felt about Jack until Sarah could contact him.

She knew she was getting greedy, but she really, really, wanted to talk to him one last time. She tried to convince herself that she should be grateful for getting to talk to him at all, but he was her first love, forever gone, all because of the current spirit that was residing in the Dawson household.

Rose shut her eyes, feeling a bit tired herself. She quickly drifted into a sleep, awaiting for a new (and hopefully) better morning.

* * *

**Alright, you all are probably going into diabetic shock with all the sugary foods I've given you, so how about hugs for reviews? Extra hugs if you got the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants connection!**


	9. Dream

Chapter Nine

Dream

* * *

After recovering from her second encounter with Cal, Sarah's life seemed to turn back to normal. Well, as normal as it could get for a girl who experienced a supernatural encounter three days ago with who, for fifteen years, thought was her father. But that was considered per usual for Sarah.

Sarah looped the same gold necklace around her neck, her hands trembling slightly with excitement as she tried to clasp it around her. She hoped that since she got her first kiss wearing it, maybe it would bring her more luck.

From her bedroom upstairs, she could hear a knock on the front door. She squealed and took a deep breath, then smoothed her skirt before going downstairs. She was more ready than she would ever be to go out with Joey.

She walked down the stairs, smiling. Joey smiled back and took her hand, lacing his fingers through her's.

"I'll bring her back by midnight, Miss Dawson," Joey said. "Is that a good time?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, just be safe."

"We will," Joey answered for both of them.

Once they were outside, things were silent between them. It was as if they didn't need to talk, they just liked being in each other's company, holding hands.

"I'm really glad you could join me," Joey said.

"No problem. It's a beautiful night out," Sarah replied.

Then there was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"So, uh, tell me about your brother," Sarah said. "I mean, if you know much."

"Well, I haven't even seen him or heard from him. I'm sure he's having fun somewhere. Probably old Paree. My grandmother said he loved drawing, just like me. Says I'm the spitting image of him."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, anything."

"Your brother...was his name Jack?"

"Yeah...yeah it was. How did you know?"

"I just heard of a Jack Dawson that Rose met on the Titanic. She says you both look very similar."

_And act the same way. And you both have those same piercing blue eyes...and dirty blonde hair...and..._

Joey grinned. "My grandmother said he would always do something like that. Said he lived for adventure. He'd die for it."

_That's not what he died for_, she thought. _He died for Rose. If he hadn't died for her, Rose would be dead, and I would probably have to live with my grandmother who didn't know I existed in England._

"I feel that way, too, sometimes," Sarah said. "I love the thrill of it. Never knowing what's going to happen next or why you're doing it. You just know that deep down, it'll lead you to something good."

"Yeah," Joey said. "Kind of like love."

Sarah was sitting down on a green blanket that blended in with the grass. She rested her head on Jack's shoulder, in return she felt an arm go around her shoulder, pulling her closer.

"When do the fireworks start?" she asked.

"Half an hour," Joey said. He pulled out his brown sketch book and opened to a spare page.

"Those are amazing," she said stopping him. She flipped to a page with an older woman with short curly hair and soft features. "Who's this?"

"That's my grandmother. I did that one about a month ago. Can I draw you?"

She smiled. "Draw me? There's nothing to draw."

"Yes there is. There's a Sarah just waiting to be put on paper. It's not always about physical properties that makes a drawing great. You have to really capture the soul of the person. But the physical part is easy. You're beautiful. An artist's dream."

She blushed and looked down at the ground. Joey positioned her, crossing her legs ladylike on the ground, sitting up straight.

"Perfect," he said, backing up slightly. "Don't move an inch. Now, don't break eye contact with me."

Her gaze stayed gently on him, even though she felt herself blushing through about half of it.

"Sarah, it's hard to draw a blushing girl," he teased.

"I'm not blushing," she denied. "I think it's you that is."

"No I'm not," he said, a small smile creeping upon his lips.

"I do believe you are, Mr. Artiste."

There was silence between them as Joey continued drawing her. It took the remaining half hour to finish the drawing. He handed the sketch book to her. "I hope it's acceptable for an upperclass girl such as yourself."

He was the first person to really understand and capture the soul of Sarah Dawson. He showed her softness when she saw Jack, but it also showed that she was independent and didn't need someone to hold her hand and do everything for her.

"Joey...this is great," she said. "It's absolutely amazing."

"Really? Thanks."

"No. Thank you."

She heard an explosion behind her and saw her shadow. She turned around and saw a firework sprinkling down into the dark waters of the harbor.

"I think it's starting," she said, turning around.

He sat next to her, holding her hand. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Every time a firework went off, she jumped ever so slightly. She still wasn't used to how loud they were.

"Sarah?" Joey asked.

She turned to look at him. "Yes?"

He swallowed, a tinge of fear in his eyes. "I love you."

She smiled and put a hand on his cheek and kissed him on the lips. "I love you, too."

* * *

"You're becoming just like Rose."

Sarah turned around from Rose's jewelry box and saw Cal standing by the doorframe. Rose was standing right next to her, so Sarah mouthed, "Later!"

"No, Sarah. I want an explanation now," he said sternly.

Sarah gently closed the jewelry box. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Rose smiled. "Goodnight."

Sarah went into her room and closed the door behind her. "What?" she whispered.

"You're becoming a little slut just like her," Cal said. "I thought I raised you better."

"Stay out of my business. Joey has nothing to do with Titanic."

"He's that gutter rat's little brother and he takes you out and--"

"Just shut up!" she hissed. "Look, what is it you're stuck on Earth for? You don't belong here anymore, you need to cross over and I can help you. You obviously need to say something to Rose or me. Or maybe both in your case. It wouldn't really surprise me."

Sarah stopped her rambling before it got worse. That was only greeted by a cold, hard stare of Cal's dark brown eyes that sent chills through her.

"You can tell me," she said quietly. "You can...um..."

Truly, there were no benefits for Cal of crossing over except that Sarah would never have to see him again. She knew that if there was a hell, Cal would be a prime candidate for it.

"I can _what_, Sarah? Visit Jack and have a smoke and a brandy with him?"

Trying to stay calm, Sarah said in an even tone, "No, not necessarily. If you have family members or friends that died I'm sure you can visit them."

"I'd rather try and find Mr. Dawson and talk to him about what he did to my Rose on Titanic," he said under his breath.

"I don't see why you hate him. He's a good person."

He chuckled. "You can't say that until you've met him, now can you, sweet pea?"

"Maybe I have."

He smiled. "You mean he's alive? He's not living with Rose? Ha, I knew it wouldn't last--"

"No. He died for Rose. I helped him cross over--"

"Then why would I want to go to a so-called Heaven if the gutter rat will be there?"

"Um, well, I don't know. I haven't been there. But Cal, really, tell me why you're here. Do you see a bright light anywhere?"

There was no reply. The throbbing headache that Sarah got whenever Cal was around got worse. "Can you please just go? I'll deal with you later. You give me a headache whenever you're around me and it hurts immensely, so please...come back tomorrow?"

"So we can what? Go in a circle again? I'm not crossing over, Sarah. You're battling with a Hockley. You don't know what you're going up against."

"Yes I do. You seem to forget that I was your daughter at one point in life."

Silence.

"If I just say what's holding me back, I can go?"

"Most likely. If it's with me and I accept it."

She kept his gaze, something that was incredibly hard for anyone that knew him to do.

"Yes, Sarah, it's partly you. I knew that you would find those adoption papers of your's sooner or later and find out that I'm not who you thought I was. Yes, I confess, I'm not your father. And you need to come to terms with that before I can...cross over, or whatever hogwash you call it. And I apologize for you leading you on."

An apology from Caledon Hockley was rare. A genuine was even rarer. Unfortunately, Sarah knew that this wasn't genuine, and she wasn't buying it for a second. Without a doubt, she knew that this was why his soul was stuck on Earth, but he wasn't apologizing for not telling the truth all those years.

"I'm afraid I can't," she said. "Someday I might be able to forgive you. Not now."

Sarah knew the consequences of what she said. He would be following her around until she finally just forgave him. And she was alright with that. Maybe it would force her to forgive him faster, anyway.

* * *

Chocolate for reviewers!!


	10. Secrets

Chapter Ten

Secrets

**This chapter is dedicated to my grandmother who died a year ago today. RIP Grandma!! Also, thank you to JainaZekk621 for undoing my writers block! **

**

* * *

**

Speaking her mind had always been Sarah's forte. She could often stun people with her attitude and thoughts. But as she saw Cal standing across from her in the kitchen, a million and one thoughts racing through her mind, she found that none could meet her lips.

"Sarah, sweet pea, talk to me," she heard Cal pleading to her.

Her eyes couldn't even meet his. They were engrossed in the fascinating brown color of the dining table, also the same color of his eyes. She looked down to the white tiles. There. There was no harm in white tiles.

"Sarah?" Cal offered gently.

She was going to ignore him for the rest of her life if she had to. There was no way that she could even speak to him again. He had betrayed her! Oh, she wanted nothing more than the simple pleasure of screaming at him...

"Sweet pea, look at me," Cal said again, a little more serious this time.

She decided to just get it over with. She slowly looked up at the same brown eyes as her's and let out a small "Why?"

"Why?" Cal asked. "What do you mean why?"

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill yourself? What made you think there was no way out of whatever was eating at you?"

Cal, hands in his coat pocket, looked down at the floor. "Because there wasn't. I couldn't tell you that you weren't really mine. You would have run away."

"I would have."

"See? And who knows what would have happened to you?"

Silence. She looked out the window at the cloudy sky.

"If I told you why I'm here, why can't I go?" Cal asked. "I'd like to leave Earth a bit sooner than later."

"Because you don't like that I'm not accepting everything. And all you want is forgiveness for your death and all the lies. And I suppose you won't cross over until I can accept and forgive."

"And why can't you?"

"Because I can't. It doesn't need an explanation."

Silence.

"You're here for Rose, too, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Cal said hesitantly.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" Sarah nearly yelled.

"Well, I do believe you have to tell her for me, and seeing as you won't talk to me, that serves as a problem. And Sarah Marie, language!"

She stood up, resisting the urge to dramatically slam the table. "I am through with being polite, God damn it! I will talk anyway that I see fit. You do not own me, and you didn't own Rose either!"

Sarah could feel herself cracking. She tried to stop, but the words kept coming out of her mouth. "Fine, you want to know why I can't forgive you? Because you were a bad father! You were never there for me! You never let me say a damn thing, you made me keep everything to myself. You just wanted me to be a copycat of Rose. Well, guess what. I'm not!"

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Sarah felt like the weight she was carrying for fifteen years had been lifted off of her chest. She felt happier, but her head hurt even more than usual when Cal was around.

Cal appeared an inch from her face. He was trying to stare her down, trying to regain the control between them. But Sarah didn't meet his eyes.

"Look at me," Cal said, quietly but sternly.

She didn't. She focused her eyes on the blue chair in the living room.

"Look at me, you filth!" Cal shouted.

Sarah snapped her eyes back to him. "Is this your unfinished business? You never got to tell me what you really thought? That I was on the same level as that gutter rat? Oh, excuse me, Jack?"

She had won. She could see the anger and defeat in Cal's eyes. Sarah felt satisfied for finally making Cal start to pay a long overdue debt.

* * *

Sarah stared into Joey's blue eyes as he held her hands. He brushed a strand of hair away from her eye.

"You're sad again," he said. "You're sad a lot."

"I have a lot going on," she replied. "I don't mean to look like I'm always depressed. Because I'm not, Joey. I'm really not."

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you all the time, then?"

"You'll think I've gone crazy."

He chuckled. "No, I won't, Sarah. Nothing you say can make me think you're crazy."

"You promise?"

He nodded.

"And you promise that you'll support it, no matter how ridiculous it is?"

He nodded again.

"Alright...I've seen your brother, Joey," she said. "I've seen Jack."

He smiled. "That's so cool! Where is he? Did you see him while you were living in Brooklyn?"

"No. When I first came to Boston."

"Where? When?"

"A few months ago."

"Do you know where he is? I'd love to see him."

"No, Joey. It's not that kind of seeing."

"What? Sarah, you just said you saw him."

"I did. But he died fifteen years ago."

Joey frowned. "You're fifteen."

"I know. Joey, I'm different than a lot of people. I see dead people."

This statement floored Joey. The one he loved, who was holding his hand and who he had taken to the fireworks show just a few days ago, was now saying something else that couldn't shock him even more.

"You...you see dead people?"

She nodded. "Your brother was stuck here on Earth because of Rose. He needed to tell her one last thing."

Just one look at his disbelieving eyes made her want to cry. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, Sarah. No, I do. I do. It's just a surprise. That's all." He hugged her. "But what does this have do with you being distant?"

"Because my father, the one I told you killed himself?"

Joey nodded.

"He's still here, too."

* * *

**Caramel apples for reviews!**


	11. Priceless

Chapter Eleven

Priceless

* * *

Sarah had heavily weighed the options of forgiving Cal. She knew that he needed to be forgiven and that he didn't belong on Earth. Yes, she had thought that a hundred times over and a hundred times again.

_This is so unfair_, she thought to herself as she read a book on the couch. She shut her book closed and stared blankly at the floor below her.

Cal would not leave her mind or her sight. He wouldn't talk anymore, he would just follow her around – never literally leaving her alone. She thought that it was his form of torture towards her. He was right, though. Just being in the same room with Caledon Hockley was punishment enough.

Like now, even when she was just minding her own business, there was Cal, leaning against the wall, eyes boring into her like lasers.

And there was the unavoidable headache she always got when he was around. She guessed it was because he was shot in the head, and she, just like all spirits she met, she felt what he was feeling.

_But still_, she thought, _did you _have _to shoot yourself in the head? It hurts! Why did you do it in the first place?_

"I'll talk to Rose for you," Sarah said before she realized it had came out of her mouth. She knew the headache was driving her insane, as well as a dead Cal.

_Stupid!_ she thought to herself. _Why did you do that?_

"So I see you might be ready to forgive me, then," Cal said.

Sarah didn't respond. She wasn't ready to. Hadn't he been listening to her at all?

"That's wonderful," he said. She wasn't sure if he was sarcastic or serious.

She squinted when she looked at Cal. If she squinted hard enough, she didn't see him anymore. It was just a blank, empty wall, not consumed by the evilness of him.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Absolutely nothing," she said, her eyes still squinty.

* * *

"What does he want?" Rose said annoyed. "Wasn't it enough punishment when you were alive to be near you? And now even in death you need to see me. That's a bit needy, isn't it?"

"Um, Rose, it's never good to snap at spirits like that," Sarah said, recalling the argument she had a few days ago where she let everything out at Cal. "They get more angry."

"Not to mention breaking things," Cal mused, looking at a mirror.

Sarah shot a look at Cal. She noticed that she really _did _look like him. "Maybe you should just tell Rose why you're here."

"You still have it, Rose," Cal said in a semi-scary voice, much like the voice he used when he told Rose that he saw the drawing of her. "You still have the _Le Coeur de la Mer_."

"I don't know what that is," Sarah said.

"You've been slacking on your French, haven't you, Sarah? It means 'The Heart of the Ocean.'"

"What's he saying?" Rose asked, leaning forward from where she was on the sofa.

"He says you still have The Heart of the Ocean," Sarah said. "Is that the big necklace with the blue diamond in the middle that you showed me?"

"Yes, I have it," Rose responded. "I don't see why it matters much to him."

"Why does it matter?" he said softly. "Why does it matter?" he said much louder. "Because it's priceless, that's why!"

"He says it was priceless," Sarah said.

"I thought I was supposed to be priceless to you," Rose said softly, yet forcefully.

Oh, had Rose said it right! Sarah watched Cal's face turn red with anger as she tried to hide a smile.

"You weren't, you were just a whore! I could have boughten you for five dollars!" Cal shouted.

"I'm not saying that!" Sarah said.

"Just bloody say it!" Cal said, it appearing in front of her face, scaring Sarah a little.

"He said that you weren't priceless," Sarah said.

"Well," Rose said, "that's quite obvious. You cared about that necklace like it was your first-born child. You kept it in you safe, for goodness sake. Too bad you gave me it."

"Where is it?" Cal said. "I want it back."

"You can't own things in death, Cal," Sarah said, as if she was talking to a child. "You can't get millions for it like Rose can."

If ghosts could get pale, Cal definitely. Or maybe it was the fact that his eyes were getting bigger and he looked like he might have a panic attack. Right when he thought he was going to scream, he actually laughed.

"You wouldn't do that, Rose. You wouldn't be that stupid," he said.

"He doesn't think you'll do it," Sarah said. "He thinks you'll keep it."

"I don't think getting millions of dollars for a necklace that someone had to pull every string to get and then just sell it for only my profit is right. Although it would pleasure me greatly to see you spited," Rose said.

The room was silent. Sarah exchanged glances between the two of them.

"Good," Cal said. "At least some sense is still in you."

Sarah diverted her gaze to Rose. She didn't repeat what he said.

"I actually think it's quite silly that you didn't realize that you had the necklace in your pocket," Rose added. "I mean, it was a heavy thing and of such great value to you. Didn't you realize that it wasn't on you?"

"I did! Right after I was running down the stairs trying to shoot at you and the gutter rat! Didn't you hear me when I said it? I thought I nearly screamed it."

"He says he did. After he was done shooting at you and Jack," Sarah said.

"Oh, yes...I remember now. I suppose it just didn't register with me that I actually had it until the day I docked in New York," Rose said.

"So I _did_ see you on the Carpathia!" Cal said. "I knew it!"

"He says that he saw you on the Carpathia," Sarah said.

"I saw you, too. Of course I wasn't going to say anything. What kind of a person would I be if I just up and talked to you like nothing happened those last few days?" Rose said.

"You would have been a much better person, Rose," Cal said bitterly.

"You know that's not true," Sarah said. "She would have been worse and she really would have jumped off the back of the boat. She wouldn't have done it because Titanic sank, but she would have done it on the Carpathia if you found her."

Sarah realized what she had just said. Cal didn't know that she didn't want to live anymore when she was engaged to him. And she had just let out one of Rose's biggest secrets.

"I mean...um...look at the propellers," Sarah said feebly. "She would...look...at the propellers..."

Rose sighed and put her head in her hand. "Sarah..."

"I'm sorry, Rose--"

Cal chuckled. "Of course you didn't want to see the propellers. You don't know the first thing about machinery. You're a woman, for God's sake!"

"He says that he knew you didn't want to see the propellers," Sarah said.

"And you obviously don't know the first thing about steel, Cal!" Rose shot back. "You were so high and mighty when your steel was used for Titanic, saying it could never sink. And look what happened! It sank to the bottom of the ocean, taking 1,500 people with it. You can't chide me!"

"You--"

"Please, let's not forget what we were talking about before," Sarah reminded them. "That was my fault I got us off track. Cal, we're here for your unfinished business. It was about the Heart of the Ocean. Did you have anything else you needed to say about it?"

"Not about the necklace," he muttered. "I really would like to keep talking about--"

"Perfect!" Sarah said. "Your business is done with Rose." _Even though I'm not sure that it is since we talked about a million different things. But if he objects, then we're back to where we began._

"Then why don't I see a light?" Cal asked, annoyed.

"Because I haven't forgiven you yet. I thought I have made that clear."

Sarah knew it was so, so wrong to torture a soul and keep him on earth. The sick part was that she liked seeing him suffer. But Sarah also knew that no one else had to cross over their hellish surrogate father that, well, wasn't even much of a father.


	12. A Puppet Freed

Chapter Twelve

A Puppet Freed

**Lucas, you have been my muse for quite sometime. I'm not sure that you're happy about it really but...oh well LOL. This is the chapter you all have been waiting for...Do enjoy! **

**

* * *

**

The summer was now vanishing as fast as it had once come. The last days were dwindling down, trying to last as long as they could. The fall nip was beginning to brush her skin whenever she went out now.

"Are you coming with me tonight?" Rose asked, looking out the window to see a cloudy sky. The once in-full-bloom maple tree was now bare, only the skinny branches scraping against the window.

"I'm deciding against it," Sarah said, sitting on the edge of Rose's bed, playing with a fray of a half-folded blanket that she was sitting on.

"I don't blame you," Rose said, trying to put on a bracelet. "It's so uninviting out there."

"That's not why I'm staying home."

Rose frowned. "You're not feeling good?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just doing some work tonight." She smiled. "I'm crossing him over tonight."

Rose nearly dropped her thin, golden bracelet onto the floor. "You are? You've forgiven him?"

She shrugged her bony shoulders. "It's been nearly three months that he's been here and the guilt is sort of getting to me. And I think the resentment has gone down a little."

"Do you...do you need me to be here?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I'll be fine. He can't hurt me. He should be out of here way before you get home tonight."

"That's great that you're doing this, Sarah. Really." She looked into Sarah's chocolate brown eyes. "I don't know how many people have your courage."

She laughed. "So serious, Rose."

A small smile crept onto Rose's face as she focused on putting her bracelet on.

"What do you want me to tell Joey tonight?" Rose asked. "I mean, what's going to be your excuse for not being there?"

"He knows," she replied. "I told him a while back. You can tell him the truth."

"Since when do you tell people that you're different?"

"Since now, I guess."

* * *

As soon as Sarah shut the front door at 5:40 PM that evening behind Rose, she could feel herself start to shake. She was so nervous she felt like she was going to throw up. She started breaking out in a cold sweat. Sarah took a deep breath and sent a prayer to make sure everything went fine this evening.

"Cal?" she called out. "Cal, I need to talk to you."

She didn't see him. She walked to the sofa and sat down, nervously crossing her legs. "Cal, this is important!"

He appeared about three feet in front of her. She noticed his brown eyes were blank and emotionless. He was spent, and so was she. Having him around her constantly was making her exhausted. She was forgiving him partly because she didn't want to feel like she could sleep for days afterwards.

Silence seemed to stretch on for hours between them. Sarah had her eyes locked on his. She wasn't going to back down now, even though she wanted to break his gaze.

"I forgive you," she said, breaking the silence.

Cal smiled. Well, if he really could smile, it was what he looked like he was doing.

"I forgive you for not being there," Sarah said. "I forgive you for being a bad dad and making me be nothing but a puppet." She tucked a strand of hair behind her hair and nervously clasped her fingers together, lacing them together. She looked at the floor. Now she felt even sicker than before.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I really do forgive you. I like to believe that everyone is a good person. Some just have a harder time showing it than others. And, yes, you did show it. At times. Just not enough to make it memorable." She played with the necklace that he had gave her the day before he died. She wondered why she still kept it around. Probably for memory's sake.

There was another long silence between them. She still kept his gaze.

"Sarah, I want you to know that you're so brave," he said. "I want you to know that I will always love you, even though my actions seemed like I didn't. But I did...I love you, Sarah."

Sarah wasn't sure to believe him or not. If he loved her so much, why did he do it? She knew they would be going around in circles if she asked that.

"I'm ready to let go of you," she said honestly. "I'm still going to love Rose like she was my own mother. She takes great care of me." Sarah caught herself right before she was getting vulnerable. "And Joey...I don't care what you say about him. I love him. And I'm sorry if he's not your idea of someone you want me to be with because he's not rich or because he's Jack's brother. But you can't control me anymore."

Sarah felt pleased with herself. Everything that she needed to say was out in the open. It was his choice now to react or to go.

Cal's brown eyes widened as he looked at something by the stairs. "What is that?" he said softly.

She turned around and saw nothing, only a painting of a sailboat. But she had a feeling that he wasn't finally noticing that painting.

"It's so bright and beautiful..." He looked at Sarah. "Thank you, sweet pea. Thank you so much."

Being thanked by Cal was something new to her. She smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."

"There's my grandfather. Haven't seen him in ten years..." He walked towards the invisible light and disappeared. The room felt lighter, much happier now. Sarah smiled and saw that it was just starting to rain out. She grabbed her coat anyways, and ran to Richards.

By the time she got to the cabaret, her hair was as wet as when she got out of a bath. Her coat was wet, and she was all around freezing. She tensed her muscles to keep them from shaking.

"Excuse me," she said, passing a man in the back. She saw that Joey was already sitting at a table in the back. Could it really have been that long that she was working with Cal to get him crossed over? No, that's impossible. She had spent what seemed like ten minutes.

She sat across from him, still smiling, even though she let herself start to shiver. She couldn't find any words to say. It seemed like she couldn't even talk

"Sarah?" Joey asked "Are you okay?"

She nodded, her brown eyes lighting up.

"You look..." he frowned. "Kind of giddy."

"I did it." She smiled wider. "He's gone."

He looked even more confused than before. "Who's gone?"

"Cal. I crossed him over."

Joey's piercing blue eyes became wide. "No w–Are you serious?"

She nodded. "That's why I didn't come here tonight. I was so busy getting him over to where he belongs."

Joey took one of her cold hands into his. Their eyes locked for what seemed like a lifetime before he finally spoke up. "I have never been more proud of you than right now," he said.

She started to feel herself blush again. "Please don't take on the father figure roll. You're beginning to sound a bit like one."

He broke into a smile. "Can't I just be proud of you?"

She kissed him on the lips. "I suppose."

* * *

**I see that twenty-three have found my fic interesting enough to keep reading (thank you for that, by the way!), yet I only have one reviewer...Don't make me hold the chapter hostage. I know what happens, no problem for me to not post it!**


	13. Of Greater Value

Chapter Thirteen

Of Greater Value

**This is such a short chapter, but I just had to get it up! Thank you for the reviews:)**

* * *

Sarah realized that Rose's birthday was only a little more than week away. She couldn't go out and buy her a new hair pin or necklace, although she knew what Rose liked. She thought silver would look more beautiful against her skin tone than gold. Sarah had debated about going to a jewelry store and getting her something, but Rose would never be able to accept it.

What could really be meaningful, then? Yes, she could make her something handmade, but it was too cliche, saying that "I made this for you" like she was four when she made Cal a drawing in school. But she was sure Rose would like it more than having her spend money on something she would only wear on occasions.

Sarah played with a thin pink string sticking out from her blanket. She closed her eyes. She was tired, she knew she needed sleep. For whatever reason, she was just incapable of falling asleep for the past week. She blamed it on adjusting to not having someone constantly watching over her – which wasn't a bad thing. No, now it was great not having Cal watching her every move. She felt truly happy and free for the first time in her life.

What could Rose never have that Sarah could give her? She couldn't give her a house for three more years. She wouldn't want anything too expensive, but something that had thought in it. Jack, that was something that Rose could never have.

A lightbulb went off in her head. Jack. That was perfect! True, she could never bring him back to life, she could do a seance. Rose had never been able to see him since the day Titanic sank. And she had always wanted to do that for her, too. Even though Sarah had no idea exactly how to perform a seance, she would have to figure it out, and fast.

* * *

"A seance?" Joey asked Sarah, a bewildered look upon his face.

Sarah nodded. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? Well, it's an idea, that's what I think," Joey said.

Her eyes trailed off to the brick building just a few feet away. It seemed too cold to be outside. She could see the breath coming out of her mouth in white puffs. It seemed too cold to early October. Rose said that winter was supposed to be coming early this month.

"Is it a good idea, though?" Sarah asked. "Do you think she would like it?"

"It would scare her if haven't told her yet," he said, obviously neutral.

"You're not a big help," she said, leaning into him. She felt him wrap her arms around her.

"Who would the seance be about, Sarah?" Joey asked slowly.

"Jack."

"Jack? As in Jack Dawson, my brother?"

"Yes. And just so you know, you're invited, too."

Silence.

"You haven't done this before, have you." Joey stated it more as a fact, not as a question.

"No. No, I haven't."

"So, what, you're going on a total whim?"

Sarah paused. "Sort of. I'm hoping it'll work, though." She paused. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course. I know you can do it, Sarah. Just as long as I get to see Jack..."

* * *

Sarah sat at the kitchen table that night. The moon was nearly full. It gave off an eerie glow to everything. She had told Rose that night not to make plans for her birthday, since she and Joey were planning on spending it with her.

Next Saturday would prove to be, put lightly, interesting. That is, if Sarah could just figure out how to do it. Would she just call out his name? No, she had tried that before as a test and it hadn't worked.

She could get people to cross over, yes. She could talk to dead people that were still on earth. Could it _really _be that much harder to speak to one that had crossed over?

Without even talking to Rose, she knew that this is what she wanted. Just to actually see Jack one last time would make her happy. Isn't that what anyone who had lost a loved one wanted? Just to talk to them one last time? Yes, that's what Sarah thought herself when she found out that Cal died. But this was Jack, a good, honest man who loved Rose truly.

_I'll find a way, Rose_, she thought.

Sarah stood up. The cold tiles of the kitchen sent chills up her spine. She tip-toed quickly across the floor and up the stairs to her room, where she turned on the light and opened up her closet door. In it was a Ouija board that she had boughten last year (without Cal's knowledge, of course). Maybe this is what could bring Jack back, if only not for a while.

* * *

**Oooh, so Sarah found the Ouija board...I guess you'll have to see what happens next chapter at Rose's birthday party!**


	14. The Seance: Part I

Chapter Fourteen

The Seance: Part I

**Ahh!!! So sorry it's been so long that I haven't updated! I've had school and my brother's concert last night...I hope this makes up for it! **

**

* * *

**

Sarah laid the Ouija board out on the coffee table in the living room and set the planchette on the board. Joey had sent Rose upstairs so he could help Sarah get ready for the surprise.

"Are you sure she'll like it?" she asked nervously.

"Of course I'm sure, Sarah!" Joey said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She is going to love it, trust me." He smiled assuringly at her.

She smiled back. "Thank you."

Joey lit a candle for effect and placed it close to the board.

"What exactly goes on during a seance?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. You and I both will find that out tonight."

He cast a confused glance at her. "You haven't tried this? What if it doesn't work?"

"It's going to work," she said surely.

He grinned. "You seem confident for going into the unknown. What exactly makes you so sure about this?"

"Isn't that what life is about, though? You're going into the unknown all the time, yet you don't even second guess it every day you wake up. So, Joey, do me a favor." She locked his eyes with her's. "Don't second guess me."

Yes, Sarah knew she sounded philosophical and serious, but she just wanted Joey to believe in her. He always did, but she didn't need this now. She was nervous and felt a lot of pressure for this to work, and Joey wasn't exactly lightening her load by having her think twice about doing this.

"I'm not, Sarah." He gently kissed her forehead. "I believe in you. I always have and I always will."

As much as she wanted to ditch Rose's birthday party now and go spend the rest of the night with Joey, she was obligated to make sure tonight when according to plan. But those blue eyes of his were showing so much love...

"I'll go get Rose," Sarah said, pulling away from Joey.

Sarah got Rose from her bedroom and brought her downstairs. At first, she looked confused, exchanging glances between the two of them. "What is this?" Rose asked softly.

"It's a seance," Sarah said. "We're going to try to contact Jack again. Do you want to try?"

Rose put a hand to her mouth. Her eyes got slightly watery. "Yes," she whispered. "I'd love to."

The mere fact that Rose had expressed interest in the seance reassured Sarah that she was doing the right thing. She knew that Rose would love it, but still. It was almost like a sign that things were going to go well.

Sarah smiled. "Great! The three of us are supposed to place our hands on that," she pointed to something that looked like spade, "the planchette."

All kneeled around the round coffee table. They placed their hands on the planchette. Sarah felt calm as soon as her fingers touched it. Maybe Jack was with them already. She quickly looked behind her and found no sign of him yet.

"What do we do now?" Rose asked.

_Don't ruin it_, Sarah thought. _Act like you know exactly what you're doing._

"Um..." Sarah racked her mind for a way to make it seem like she had done this before. "We ask if he's there." She paused. "Can we speak with Jack Dawson, please?"

The planchette was still. Sarah looked at Rose, who had a blank expression on her face, staring at the planchette, while Joey was looking at Sarah encouragingly.

"May we please speak with the spirit of Jack Dawson?" Sarah asked again. Just in case they (whoever _they_ was, she wasn't sure) needed more information, she said, "He left Earth on the morning of April 15, 1912. He was crossed over fifteen years later. If there's anyone out there that this pertains to, please come here."

There was silence again. Sarah hated the silence, to her it always meant that something bad was going to happen. And now, with no spirit activity, that _definitely_ meant something bad.

"Wh--" Rose began, but she was torn off by the moving of the planchette. Her nervous blue eyes looked at Sarah. "Are you doing this?" she whispered.

Sarah shook her head. Her heart was beating faster. The room seemed to get colder. Goose bumps started rising on her arms.

The planchette moved to YES.

Sarah looked around the room. No one yet. "Who are we speaking to right now?"

The planchette started moving faster. J-A-C-K-D-A-W-S-O-N.

Sarah felt a chill go through her. "Hi, Jack."

Without warning, the planchette moved to R-O-S-E.

Sarah frowned. "Yes, Rose is right here, Jack."

It moved to NO.

Sarah looked at Rose, who now looked frightened.

S-A-R-A-H-A-N-D-J-O-E-Y-L-E-A-V-E.

Joey cast Sarah a look that said, "I thought you knew how to do this."

She focused her attention on the board. "You want me and Joey to leave, Jack?"

The planchette went to YES.

"But it won't work," she defended. "We need to stay here. And how do we know that this isn't someone else?"

A figure appeared by the chair, at first transparent, then slowly, he began to look like a man. It was Jack Dawson, looking exactly the same as the last time they had seen each other, which was nearly half a year ago. Was that even possible that the last six months of her life had gone by that fast? And that everything with what she used to know had changed that much?

"Any doubt now?" he chuckled.

"No, but you can't talk to her," Sarah said, breaking a room filled with silence.

Both Joey and Rose looked at her. "Are you al--" Joey began.

"Yes," she interrupted. "Jack, you're not going to be able to talk to Rose, though. I'm the only one that can make contact with you. It'll just fall on deaf ears if it's just you, too."

"Do you trust me?" Jack asked, his light blue eyes connecting with her brown ones.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Then take you and Joey upstairs for a few minutes. I need to talk to Rose. I'll talk to you two in a little bit, I promise."

"What's he saying?" Joey and Rose asked together.

"Rose, you stay here, me and Joey are supposed to go upstairs."

Rose frowned. "For what? You need to stay here and talk to him for me."

"I know, that's what I just said to him, too. Apparently he has something up his sleeve..." She stood up. "Come on, Joey."

Joey frowned. "Sarah, what are we doing?"

"We're going to let Jack do, um...I'm not sure. It'll be quick, though he said." She led him upstairs, where Rose sat in silence, her hands still on the planchette.

"Rose," she heard him say.

It was _him_! But, no, that was impossible. He died fifteen years ago. And Sarah had crossed him over. But then, why could she hear his voice, and now...see him?!

He was now sitting on the couch just a few feet away from her. Tears clouded her eyes. "Jack?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Rose. It's me."

She felt a lump in her throat start to form. She reached out to touch him. Her fingers didn't go through his skin like she thought they would, but instead, they touched human skin. Jack's skin. How she wanted to do that even for a second all these years...and now she finally did!

"Are you alive?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "No, I'm still dead. I'll always be dead." He chuckled. "It's not as bad as you think, Rose. I'm with my parents now. It's great. You don't ever have to worry about anything. It's, well...it's Heaven."

She slowly sat on the couch next to him. She couldn't stop staring at him. Now _she_ could finally see him. "How long can you be here?"

"Not long at all. About...ten minutes I think. But let's not talk about time."

He placed his lips on her's. It was like they had never been separated. Rose remembered exactly how to kiss him...all those memories came back, how they kissed on the bow of Titanic, how they were chased through the ship, how she decided to get lost in the backseat of a car with him. It was all so familiar.

"I love you, Jack," she whispered, a tear trailing down her cheek. "I guess I didn't love you enough to stay on that lifeboat like you and Cal told me to. If I did, you would have had that door to yourself, you would have lived...We could have had a life together..."

She remembered saying this to him last April, but she never got to hear his exact response. She remembered what it was, but to hear him say it...

"Rose, don't you dare blame yourself for this," Jack said firmly. "I wouldn't have survived. Someone else would have found that door before I did, someone who had a wife and kids. Me, I was just a third-class guy who did nothing but draw people for ten cents."

"You had so much to live for, though," she said. "That could have been _us_. You could have been a father and a husband and maybe something more than an artist. It just kills me to know that you were stupid enough to not get on that door."

He took one of her hands. His hands...she remembered those...he was so gentle with her with them. He drew her with those hands...

"You would have died with me, though," he defended. "Then what would have happened between us? What would have happened to Sarah? You lived for a reason, Rose. You're going to meet a great guy and have kids with him, and you're going to watch Sarah grow up and do the same thing." He gently rested his spare hand on her cheek. "You were put on earth for a reason. And you have to keep that promise that you said you would keep."

Her mind flashed back to that night when Jack was in his last moments. How cold and scared she was, how unsure of her future she was...

"I'm keeping that promise," she said, more tears welling in her eyes. "Sarah is my child now. And I'll meet someone when I'm ready. When the time is right, I know I have your blessing."

Jack smiled and wiped a tear streaking down her cheek.

"Sarah did this as a birthday gift for me," she said.

"It's your birthday?" he asked.

She nodded. "You've been gone six months."

"Wow...it doesn't seem that long that I've gone from you. It seems like six seconds."

Rose nodded. She could feel herself getting more tired. She wondered if this was how Sarah felt when she was communicating with a spirit. She wanted to know how she put up with this feeling.

"I don't have much time left. If you could, I'd like to speak to Sarah and Joey for a minute," Jack requested.

"I want to talk to you more, though," she said softly.

"Someday, we'll have all the time in the world to talk. Just not right now. And don't make it too short, either. Live a good life, Rose. Die an old lady warm in her bed."

She nodded again. "I promise."

Rose got up slowly. It still seemed surreal that she was actually talking to Jack, something she thought would never happen to her. She knew she couldn't ever make it up to Sarah.

"I love you, Jack," she said, her voice cracking.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Rose. Remember...make it count."

* * *

**Please tell me what you thought of this! I love hearing feedback!**


	15. The Seance: Part II

Chapter Fifteen

The Seance: Part II

* * *

The first time that Sarah saw a dead person was when she was four. It was a neighbor who recently died. Sarah remembered running to Cal's room, scared and crying, saying that Mr. Dubois was talking to her. Cal just said it was a dream and to go back to sleep. She refused to, unless she could sleep with him that night. Half-asleep, he agreed. She remembered how safe she had felt when she was with him, like Mr. Dubois could never scare her again. But whenever she wasn't near Cal when he saw him, she became frightened, just like the little girl she was, even as she grew progressively older

Was that how Joey and Rose were feeling now? Were they scared, too? It was perfectly normal being scared the first time seeing a ghost. In fact, Sarah thought that one wouldn't be normal if they _weren't_ scared seeing a ghost for the first time.

Sarah smiled when she saw Jack sitting on the couch. "Hi," she said. "How are you?"

"Woah," Joey breathed, stopping dead in his tracks at the foot of the stairs. "I can see him."

"Yeah," Jack said. "You can. Rose could, too." He looked Joey up and down. "Just like looking in a mirror, huh, little brother?"

"Yeah," Joey said, looking right back at him. "It is."

The resemblance really was uncanny between the two male Dawsons. They both had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as strong bone structure and lips...they could have easily passed for twins. They were even the same age.

Joey took a seat next to Jack. "Are Mom and Dad, um..." He pointed upwards.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, they're in Heaven. Not a half bad place, either."

"Maybe that's why they call it Heaven," Joey commented.

Silence.

"Are you happier now?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. I miss not seeing Rose, but I guess I didn't really realize it until I got back on Earth. On the Other Side you can't feel unhappiness. Haven't seen Cal yet, so it really is Heaven."

_Must be_, Sarah thought. _That might be Heaven for me, too..._

"Tell me about your life," Joey said.

"I can only be here a few more minutes, but..." Jack told how great their parents were, how devastated he was when they died, and how he traveled the world drawing people. And, of course, how he met Rose on Titanic, and the adventure of it.

"Did it hurt to die, though?" Joey asked.

Jack thought. "It hurt dying. The water was freezing cold...you can't think of anything but the pain...it feels like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. It didn't hurt to actually die, though."

"Oh." Joey paused. "Do you like being dead?"

Sarah wasn't sure that this was the right thing to be asking his brother that was dead. It just seemed kind of rude, and sort of obvious. Wasn't everyone who had crossed over happy?

"Yeah. I do. I get to see Mom and Dad." Silence. "So how did Sarah find you? There are too many Dawsons here in Boston."

"I work with Rose at the cabaret, and Sarah and I started talking one day and we've became good friends."

_More than that_, Sarah thought, her hand still in Joey's.

"And she told me about this idea for Rose's birthday a week ago. Pretty neat how we met, huh?"

Jack nodded, then changed the subject. "Sarah, thank you so much for helping me cross over and letting me talk to Rose one last time. I'm not sure how I can ever repay you."

"You don't have to. You won't be able to, anyways. Just enjoy, um..." She was about to say life, but since he wasn't alive, she wasn't quite sure what to say. "Heaven."

Jack smiled. "I will." He got up and hugged Sarah. He felt normal temperature. Was this how a spirit that she could actually touch felt like?

Jack shook his brother's hand. It really was like looking in a mirror with the two of them.

"I think I'm going," Jack said, fading slightly.

"Rose!" Sarah yelled. "Come quick! Jack's leaving!"

She heard footsteps coming quickly down the stairs. Jack was a quarter gone now, more transparent.

"Goodbye, Rose," Jack said. "I love you."

"Jack," Rose pleaded, "don't go. Stay."

"I can't," he said. "I need to go. It's where I belong."

Jack was now half gone. He was fading quickly.

"I love you," she said passionately, tears brimming her eyes.

At that moment, when Jack was fading, all the love in the world in his eyes when he looked at her; and Rose, her mouth covered with her hand and watery eyes, she knew that there would be another person for Rose. There just couldn't be. The way they looked at each other was too strong to have someone step in and take Jack's place

He was nearly gone.

"I love you, Jack," she repeated, only softer this time. Everything in the house seemed to get quieter.

He was all gone.

The house was silent. The chill throughout was gone, but it still remained in Sarah's body, probably because what she just witnessed was possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Jack, you can spend the night on the sofa," she said, after the longest silence Sarah had ever faced.

"It's Joey, Miss Dawson," he corrected.

"Right. You both look so similar..." she trailed off. "I'm going to sleep now."

Yes, the first time that Sarah saw a spirit, she was frightened. But the first time Joey and Rose saw one, she suspected it was a different scenario. How could you be frightened when the one you loved who was at your fingertips reassured you that everything would be alright?

* * *

**Thinking of ending this fic in a few chapters. Just an FYI to all of you.**


	16. A Life So Changed

Chapter Sixteen

A Life So Changed

**The last chapter! Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

As Sarah rummaged through her closet two years later, she saw the Ouija board that she had used for the seance. How could it be that it was that long of a time ago that she had brought Jack back for even ten minutes? It seemed like just yesterday she was trembling with excitement when she placed her hands on the planchette, calling for him.

She had never tried to do a seance for Cal. True, she never talked about him, but she thought about him constantly. She still didn't believe that he shot himself because he didn't want her to take the news too hard. But then again, he was unpredictable. Just because you lost somene close to you didn't mean that you didn't miss them.

The stock crash of 1929 was hitting Rose and Sarah hard. They hardly had any money left with them, because Rose started investing money in the stock market. Even with Sarah working a job at Richard's during the day as a cabaret singer – she decided to stop going to school – ends were still hard to meet.

Sarah longed for the days when she turned eighteen. She would inherit the millions Cal left behind and give some to Rose so that she could get a bigger house and money to survive. Luckily for her, Cal had invested in the stock market a few years ago when it was at it's peak. Now, in only five months, that would be her's.

What would she do with the money that she had? Would she buy a big house if she and Joey (maybe) got married? How much would she save for her future? How many millions did he exactly leave behind for her?

Cal's voice couldn't help but find her way into her mind. "That Boy is going to go after your inheritance!...He only kissed you at Richards because he wants that money. He's nothing but a gutter rat."

It couldn't be true. Joey wouldn't have wasted two and a half years with her just for some money. And besides, they loved each other. Although the future had come up a few times between them, he had never proposed. She wasn't sure she would want to get engaged at just seventeen, anyway. Not when she had her whole life ahead of her.

Rose had said multiple times that she approved of Joey Dawson, and that whenever she wanted to get married she could. But no, Sarah was independent and had a fire in her, much like Rose did at her age. It was the same one that Joey said he loved, and said he would always respect anything she said.

She remembered the first time she met Rose. It was raining out and she was freezing, not to mention scared to death about what would happen and how Rose would react. Back then, she was young, vulnerable, and naive. At just fifteen, she was getting over someone who that she thought was her father's death. Yes, she had overcome it more quickly when she found out that Cal wasn't who she had thought he was all these years. Yes, it still took a while to get over, but if she hadn't found out that he had lied to her, she probably would still be very sad.

At sixteen, she was more stable. She had gotten used to living with Rose, who had treated her with only the best care and stability that Sarah could have ever needed. And the best thing was, Rose had the same attitude towards her today.

At seventeen, Sarah was now trying to figure out her future. Would Joey be in it with her? Where would the world take her? Would she be like Rose, and find true love, like Joey, only to have it taken away from her?

But, to think about your future, you must think about your past. And that's exactly what she was doing. Oh, how her life had changed...She grew stronger than she ever thought she could right when she thought she was going to break down. That was partly because of Joey telling her that everything really would be alright, and partly because she knew things couldn't get much worse than they had when she had turned fifteen. Today, she felt like nothing could break her.

Yes, that was an exaggeration. If someone close to her, like Rose or Joey, died, than, yes, she would most definitely feel as empty and numb as she did two years ago. She prayed that she wouldn't have to experience something like that for a long time.

"Hi," Rose said.

Sarah turned around and smiled. "Hi. I was just thinking about you."

"You were?" She sat down on the bed next to her.

Sarah nodded. "What's love like?"

"What's love like?" Rose repeated. "Well, you're in love right now. You should know. Why?"

"I think love is like a ghost. Everyone talks about it, some people believe in it, but very few actually experience it."

Yes, Sarah's life had changed drastically. All for the better, though. Nothing would ever be the same in her life, nor did she want to go back to the life that she had lived before. She just wanted to be what she really was: a Dawson.

* * *

**Well, that's the ending! Hope everyone enjoyed it! Please review and tell me!**


End file.
